Introduction
Karma is derived from Sanskrit root word कृ that means to do or to act. The most believed theory about Karma is that it is the law of cause and effect. Many believe it is the same as Newton’s third law i.e. every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
“Every moment of your life, you perform action- physically, mentally, emotionally and energy-wise. Each action creates a certain memory. That is Karma”. – Sadhguru
You get a result of everything that you do and think. Yes, that’s true. But there is a deeper meaning to that. It is not like if you kill someone then someone will kill you too. Or if you donate a huge portion of your earning then you will get the return of that.
Let me tell you Karma doesn’t work like that.
Karma is generated when we do any work and we think something. While doing these we emit energy corresponding to that thought or action. The amount of energy emitted is our Karma. And that Energy comes back to us which we call as results of our Karma.
Timeline of Karma
When can we expect the results of our Karma to hit us back? Can we reap the results of our Karma in the same life?
No. Not necessarily.
The energy we have emitted while doing our karma since our first birth as a human remain in the universe. So you can get the result of your Karma from your previous births in this birth or in your future birth as well.
Where human life is the only life in which Karma is accumulated, the other lives serves as a means to dissipate the effects of Karma accumulated.
So, if you have a good amount of positive karma you may get another human life in next birth. But if you have accumulated too much bad karma, you will be born as another species of life and there you will dissipate some of your bad karma accumulated.
In Bhagvad Gita 11.20.17 It is said “nri-deham ädyam su-labham su-durlabham”
Meaning
“The human body, which can award all benefit in life, is automatically obtained by the laws of nature, although it is a very rare achievement”
Brief explanation: There are 8.4 million species of life. So if you have accumulated bad Karma, you may land up being born as another species. And you will keep on changing bodies until you reach a human body. But you will get another human body for sure.
When will this cycle of Incarnations end?
Well, this is the purpose of human existence; to break the cycle of birth and death and to attain the state of permanent peace. This state is called Moksha or Liberation.
Self-realization is the only way to attain liberation. People call it awakened state, enlightenment, soul awakening, ascension, etc but all means the same, to identify yourself as a soul and not a body.
When you completely detach from your bodily ego you will have no materialistic desires left. You will experience the creation, this universe and every object in this object as it is and do just what is needed.
This lack of desire and surrendering all your work for the divine, the Universe will stop accumulating more Karma. This will mark the end of the law of cause and effect and you will be liberated.
Does Karma apply to every life (animals/plants)?
Not to forget, Karma applies only to human species. Why? Because we have the intelligence to perceive what is right and what is wrong. Animals live based only on their instincts.
Universe has designed animals so that they can kill other animals for their food and maintain the ecological balance. If birds don’t eat insects then it will result in unhealthy plants and flowers. Similarly, if lions stop eating deer then it will result in a huge loss of a green environment. And there is no need to mention the negative effects of less number of trees.
But if we start killing lions and birds just for the sake of fun and sports, then we are surely going to accumulate negative karma. We know our killing of other life won’t do any good to this world and it is clearly wrong.
It is only when the intelligence is combined with action Karma is generated. So Karma applies to humans only.
Origin of Karma
We can trace back to 70,000 years ago that modern human species were evolved on earth.
Before that, we were more or less animals only. During that period only we were able to distinguish between what is morally right or wrong.
Our first karma started with our first birth as humans. So we can pretty much conclude that we are now reaping the results of previous Karma.
Can we change our Karma or get rid of it?
Yes, we can change our karma. This human life is an opportunity to get rid of all our previous karma and attain the state of enlightenment or Moksha.
The only thing that you need to do is detach yourself from the body’s ego/ your identity and identify yourself as a soul. It is a great business for many organizations out there but you don’t necessarily need to go for them. Meditate, meditate and meditate. You will know yourself as a soul and a Universe in yourself.
Why does this happen to me?
Have you ever asked yourself this question- why does this happen to me?
As told earlier, Karma can travel across many births. Let’s call it a black ball. When you through the ball it is ought to come back to us.
When it comes back in an hour you will remember it. When it comes back in 10 years, you may or may not remember it. But when it comes back in 100 years, you will definitely not remember it.
So when bad Karma from your previous birth comes back to you, you ask this question – why does this happen to me? And you start blaming others.
Just a question for you – Did you ever asked yourself this question when anything good happen to you? Write down your answer in the comment section below. Also please let us know how you liked the insights on Karma. Did you know these facts earlier?
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